Deep Fryer?

Deep Fryer?

I am needing a deep fryer for onion blossoms to be used at festivals. It will go in a 8x10 concession trailer. Anyone got an idea on the size I would need to fry up several at one time? Also I'd appreciate help on what brand would be tough for the consistent use. Thanks.

not sure a conventional deep fryer is going to be your best bet.. 1) are you going to cook anything else besides onions? 2) are you planing on gas or elec? 3) are you required to have a ansul system for the grease vapors?

you may want to look into a fried dough or (elephant ears) fryer IMHO I think gas would be alot better than elec. check with your h/d -fire dept-county, or whatever governing body that handles the ansul side of it.

Onions would be the only thing I use it for. I thought about electric simply because it is available at most festivals, but if there is an advantage to using gas I would. How many hours straight would a propane tank last? Thanks for the help.

Adding to B&V's comments, I think it would be reasonable to discount the use of typical or side by side countertop that uses about 1 1/2-2 gal. of oil/tank. Your oil line is about 3" without the basket. That's too shallow for a fair or concession sized onion once you add the basket. Furthermore, I doubt you can do more then one in a counterop basket . A countertop electric 110v/1800w unit is going to really have to struggle for recovery over a 220v. You most likely are going to have to do these cold, held in a fridge to set.

I have a press that I resurrected and a corer. My exeperience is just proofing a few videlias in my home kitchen in a 1.6L coutnterop and disgarding the idea of even doing these with the effort and logistics involved. I've never seen them done commerically, but I would suspect that they can't be doing several at a time unless they're side by side in a basket. They're too delicate if you're using a Redco, PC, or Nemco press and feather them in boiling water to stack them and deliver a presentation product especially with a large onion. Also judging from experience is that you've got a lot more breader shedding from onions then a product such as chicken. That's going to be rough on the oil and you're going to have to consider the sediment unless you have cold zone or mantle element type fryer.

I never gave too much thought to why some of the chains stopped doing these using health/fat concerns and diminishing customer requests. This may have been an economic consideration taking into account the oil/fryer maintaince and the throughput of the fryers to justify continue making them.

After 13 years in the business, seen onion blossums done once. I sat and watched the concessionaires do them, lots of work and time to properly do. I had at one time considered it, as hardly no one does them down here in my area. But I learned many years ago in this business, KISS. Also, I wouldn`t even think of doing onions in a electric deep fryer, gas would be the only way to go.

We sell these at our Restaurant. They are time consuming to make properly, but not out of the question. You would need to make ahead for use. Made as needed would be very time consuming. We fry these in your typical restaurant fryer, I am guessing a 40-50 lb fryer 3- phase electric. We use colossal onions and can fry 3 at a time, 4 would be pushing it. You would have to use gas if you plan on frying more than one at a time in electric. And you need a large amount of oil to help maintain your heat so a counter top I do not think would work. Electric fyers do recover quicker than gas. Some questions to better answer your question.

1. What size onion 2. Will it be cold or room temperature before you fry it. 3. Will you always have electric everywhere you go. 120v or 220v available?

Typically electric fryers recover quicker than gas. A gas fryer when initially turned heats the oil up to temp quicker. There are many types of electric and gas fryers so this may not be true for all models. In my search of fryers this is what I have found.

Sorry I'm from the Midwest show me one study, report, or any other indication that electric has a faster reheat/recovery time than gas. Please educate this old dog, with the facts.

This has been my experience with them. I may be wrong. There are quick recover gas fryers. And, Im not saying to go electric, Im saying go gas. If you do not agree, you do not agree. I am just offering my opinion, trying to help as others here have helped me. The link did not show. I got the info from foodservicewarehouse.com

Just read the rest of the post. Thanks cue and everyone else for your advice. Like CC said and I believe he told me in another post, I think I am going to go with the onion straws instead of a blossom. I've been practicing them both at home and the straws are SO much easier and taste the same as a blossom. I cut them up, dropped them in a little milk, then put dry batter on them. They turned out great.

E.C. you first said your going to do festivals. Good electricity is not dependable. What I mean is if your using electric, many times during an event power goes out because some of the village idiots that are set-up beside you have no idea what the heck a amp is. Power goes out, your done. I do strictly events, so while others are out of business, I`m still making money and laughing all the way to the bank. So, two things to be said, use a gas fryer/fryers, second, as stated in a earlier post, I wouldn`t do onion blossums. What I saw at that one event there was way too much work involved. Remember, the sane people work 40 hours a week, the rest of us work 60 in 3 days or less. Our window of opportunity is limited, you want to make all you can in a short time. Good luck. BTW, keep us posted on the onion straws.

I never looked at it that way. Yeah if the power went out I could continue to sell. Thanks for the advice, I belie e I will go with the gas. Yeah I'm dumping the onion blossom idea. The straws are very good and so much easier and economical to make.